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Arizona-based Desert Viking Development is pleased to announce the first two tenants to join the upcoming The Blocks of Roosevelt Row project located at 5th Street and Roosevelt in downtown Phoenix’s Roosevelt Row Arts District.
Scheduled to open spring 2017, award-winning Chef and Restaurateur Aaron Chamberlin of St. Francis and Phoenix Public Market Café is bringing a new concept to the area. “I think Desert Viking has great vision and we are thrilled at the opportunity to continue to be a part of downtown Phoenix and the Roosevelt Row District,” says Chamberlin. “We’ve had the Phoenix Public Market Cafe in downtown for three years now, and I’ve lived in and been involved in downtown for the past 10 years. We know what a special project this is and we look forward to continuing to feed the downtown community.”
Roosevelt Row’s very own John Sagasta (Melt, Jobot Coffee & Diner and the former Flowers Craft Beer & Wine) is eager to bring another equally enticing concept to The Blocks of Roosevelt Row during Phase II, scheduled to open fall 2017. With details still in the works, Sagasta, a longtime supporter and contributor to 5th Street’s overall success, remains passionate and committed to being a part of these last two historical blocks.
“While things are changing on 5th Street, its future has never looked brighter. Lawn Gnome is still hosting thoughtful community-driven shows. Lost Leaf just got a facelift and still has the largest craft beer selection in downtown. Buds is the headshop with a heart, and if you know Buds then you know no one has a better headshop game around. Made continues to lead by example selling handmade products and holding on to the last gallery on Roosevelt.
5th Street Tattoo is still keeping everyone inked. Then there’s Melt, the little ice cream shop that could — still there day in and day out, hooking up the masses with one of the best-made locally-owned dairy products this side of Casa Grande. Desert Viking’s vision of 5th Street, though different looking, still promotes ideas of hype, congregation and community involvement. Fifth Street will never look the same, but fortunately many of the same players are still dealt in and can only benefit from future successes of developments to come. I’m confident that Desert Viking’s generous nature and commitment to supporting locally-owned business and events will provide many opportunities for entrepreneurs and creatives alike,” says Sagasta.
AV3 Design Studios, a Phoenix-based architectural and design firm, completed the conceptual master plan and is leading the renovation of the Flowers building as part of Phase I. Taking the lead in the architectural design and construction for Phase II is Form Third – a locally-owned and operated design-build company located in the heart of Roosevelt Row.
“We are honored to be selected as the Phase II design-builder for this unique downtown project,” says Shawn Goetzinger, partner at Form Third Design-Build. “Being a part of Phoenix’s downtown is important to our team. Our plan is to work side-by-side as a partner in the entire process to not only meet the design and building goals, but the overarching goal of maintaining the integrity of the downtown area.”
“Our company was built on the philosophy of developing the ‘third’ space – that space between work and home. To have a project like this that creates that in our own neighborhood is so important to us,” says Robert Des Rosiers, partner at Form Third Design-Build.
Desert Viking Development, who has an extensive history of renovating and preserving Arizona’s historic buildings, currently houses and supports other popular Valley hot spots like Lola’s Coffee, Okra, Phoenix Ale Brewery Central Kitchen, The Womack, SanTan Brewery, El Zocalo, Pita Jungle and La Bocca. Desert Viking’s Niels Kreipke, along with Dan Noma Jr., maintains their passion for working with Arizona-grown businesses.
“We are excited about the tenants and architects we have on-board, and continue to look for other local restaurants, retail owners and artists to balance out the project and enhance the vision,” says Kreipke.
The Blocks of Roosevelt Row is located at 5th Street and Roosevelt in the heart of the Roosevelt Row Arts District. http://www.theblocksroosevelt.com
Renderings courtesy of Desert Viking Development.
Great article… if anyone knows how things are moving for the project at the SWC of 3rd Ave and Roosevelt, I’d love to know what the project is going to look like and what the timeline is… I just heard it might be 150 units of housing, but I’m not sure the zoning would allow for that. For this project at 5th and Roosevelt, my main concern as someone who is into location intelligence, queuing theory, etc. is that there’s an oversaturation of food and beverage offerings relative to the population density in the area. Currently we’re about to pass 225 restaurants within a 15-20 minute walk of Central and Roosevelt, which I think would require a population of about 4-5 times more workers and residents than we will have by the end of 2020. I think a lot will fall out, and we’ve seen a lot shutter due to increased competition which is sad when people pour a lot of blood, sweat, tears, time and money into their dreams of opening a restaurant or bar. Perhaps the main focus should be on increasing residential population first and foremost, and for those residential properties that do exist keep in mind that people often cook at home… if you rent your house out on airbnb when you’re not using it, that’s an awesome way to support local businesses, as people who visit for short-term rental purposes tend to eat out for nearly every single meal, and since they’re spending less money than they would on a hotel room (most of the time), then they typically have more disposable income to spend at local restaurants, bars, retail shops, museums, theaters, sporting events, etc., etc… and this then gives the owner of a condo/townhome/home more income to spend on local businesses when they return… it’s a great win-win cycle… this is why all restaurant associations should be ‘bigly’ in favor of short term rental models… as well as local residents – it’s a great way to pay for that dream vacation while you’re actually on the vacation, or just offset 100% of your living expenses…